20demayo Chapter 135 Tax Collection
Chapter 135 Tax Collection
"Thank you, sir!"
"I kowtowed to the master!"
"Why didn't we encounter such a good official like you before!"
The scene of collecting summer taxes was noisy, but it was not a sign of resistance from the people; rather, it was a chorus of praise.
The tax-paying citizens and Li Chong were separated by the yamen runners, but this could not stop the overwhelming enthusiasm of the people.
Every now and then, people would come up to Li Chong, kowtow to him from afar, and then leave with profuse thanks.
"Hey." Li Chong stood up from his chair. "Help that child up quickly. He's so small, don't let him hurt his head."
Some people not only thanked him themselves, but even made their children kowtow to Li Chong, which deeply moved Li Chong.
After watching the family of ragged people leave once more, Li Chong silently sat down.
His eyes gradually glazed over, and Li Chong was filled with deep emotion.
In truth, he didn't do anything special; he just did his duty.
According to Sun Jun, when collecting taxes, one should bring enough constables, prepare sticks for suppression, and also bring experienced officials to prevent anyone from evading taxes.
Li Chong already felt it was cruel, but this was the order from above. As long as Li Chong wanted to stay in the Northern Song officialdom, he had no choice but to push this matter forward against his conscience.
In fact, he was fully prepared to be scolded.
But the result was that he listened to praise all day long. At first, Li Chong was a little embarrassed, but later he became numb to it.
The reason for this was that he had fulfilled his duty and truthfully conveyed the tax amount required by the state.
This sentence seems ordinary, but the key lies in the word "as it is".
According to past "customs", the annual tax amount was issued by the State Council and then increased layer by layer by the Ministry of Revenue, the prefectures and counties, which was already an unbearable burden for ordinary people.
Moreover, Emperor Huizong and his ministers treated everyone equally in their exploitation of the people. Ordinary commoners were overwhelmed, and even the landlords and gentry were not much better off.
Just like the Flower and Stone Tribute, Zhu Mian used the pretext of building a garden for Zhao Ji to turn the entire southeast upside down, causing countless families to be destroyed and wiped out.
The unusual stones used in the construction of Genyue all came from this, and those that could be identified as unusual stones were naturally beyond the means of ordinary families to maintain, so Zhu Mian naturally set his sights on those wealthy households.
At the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, Emperor Huizong (Zhao Ji) exploited everyone from the lowest-class commoners to the middle-class wealthy, and it was no wonder that his country was destroyed.
Let's get back to the matter of collecting taxes in Yanggu.
Li Chong truthfully reported the tax amounts. Although this could not completely eliminate corruption among lower-level officials, Li Chong's strict requirements reduced the additional burden on the people.
The people of Yanggu County had prepared for the blood loss as per their usual practice, but now all their preparations were in vain. Surprised and delighted, the people were naturally grateful to Li Chong.
Not only the common people, but also the gentry came to express their gratitude to Li Chong.
With a large population and vast territory, they naturally had to pay even more taxes. Li Chong saved them such a large sum of money, which naturally won them the hearts of the people.
"My family has lived in Yanggu for generations, and we have never seen a county magistrate who loves the people as much as he does. We have often heard people say 'love the people like your own children,' but after meeting you, I finally understand what it means to be a parent official."
After announcing his arrival, Xue Tao approached Li Chong and bowed in gratitude.
Li Chong shook his head and smiled bitterly, his heart filled with mixed feelings.
At first, he was quite puzzled because he didn't know the reason, but after he learned the reason, Li Chong felt even more upset.
"This county is merely fulfilling its duties; there is no need for such a grand gesture."
Looking up at the people queuing to pay taxes, Li Chong's expression was complicated.
Although I have already helped them reduce some of their burdens, these people still live in great hardship, their faces are pale and their clothes are tattered.
But the world shouldn't be like this.
Everyone says that the Northern Song Dynasty was a time of great prosperity, but that refers to Bianliang (Kaifeng).
Throughout the Northern Song Dynasty, the entire nation's resources were mobilized to subjugate a single city; this distorted social system should have been abolished.
Seeing Li Chong's increasingly serious expression, Xue Tao subconsciously straightened up. He felt that Li Chong possessed a captivating aura.
Taking a few steps closer, he lowered his voice and said, "Your Excellency, I have found the old farmer my son was looking for, who is skilled in farming. We can now transfer their family's indenture. What is Your Excellency's opinion?"
Li Chong snapped out of his daze and glanced at him.
Xue Tao didn't want to get too involved in creating auspicious omens. If Li Chong succeeded, he would be credited for finding the person; but if he failed, the person wouldn't be under his name, leaving room for maneuver.
However, considering they had only known each other for a short time, it was already quite impressive that he had gone to such lengths, so Li Chong didn't intend to hold it against him.
He replied calmly, "Very well, I will send someone to find Patriarch Xue another day. When you see my secret mark, just hand the person over to the messenger."
Li Chong casually drew a pattern and asked Xue Tao to write it down, which he then erased.
Since they were going to do something big, they needed to keep it a secret. Li Chong planned to send the man into the mountains and then find a way to create auspicious omens.
Jia Zhuo, Hu Changyong and the others were originally mountain bandits and had no connection with the government, so there was no fear that they would leak information.
After seeing Xue Tao off, Li Chong turned around abruptly as he looked at the people paying their taxes.
"Sir Sun, this place is now in your hands. I'll say it again: pay whatever tax I order, no less, but absolutely no more!"
Sun Jun bowed respectfully, saying, "I obey your command."
Even if people don't understand good officials, they will generally feel some respect for them, and Sun Jun was one such person.
Furthermore, Li Chong had just wiped out the mountain bandits, and his influence was still strong, so everything would proceed smoothly even without him personally overseeing the situation.
He needs to start planning the next step.
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"Shu'er, Shu'er!"
Li Chong strode back to the back office and called out several times, "Where is he?"
"My lord." Xie Wenyu gracefully came out to greet him. "I sent her, Siqi, and Baoqin to go to the market. I saw that we were still missing some things at home, so I arranged for them to go and buy them."
"Oh, I was wondering why the house was so quiet today."
Stepping inside, Li Chong casually took off his outer garment and poured himself a glass of water.
Xie Wenyu came to his side and asked softly, "What does my lord want with Shu'er?"
"It's nothing, I'm just a little tired from the long journey back, so I asked her to give me a massage. Her massage skills are really good, it really helps relieve fatigue."
As time went by, Li Chong gradually became accustomed to being waited on and began to act more like an official.
There's no way around it; if he insists on demanding equality, all he'll get in return is kneeling in fear and trembling.
Xie Wenyu's eyes flickered, and she quietly walked behind Li Chong: "Then let me give you a massage, sir."
"Hmm?" Li Chong was somewhat surprised and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Madam."
Although he really wanted to ask Xie Wenyu, a lady from a prominent family, why she knew these things, Li Chong could only agree in order not to reveal any flaws.
Xie Wenyu moved gracefully and placed her hand on Li Chong's shoulder.